Raymond Carl Highsmith, 72

July 12, 2013

Mr. Raymond Carl Highsmith, 72, died on Wednesday, July 10, 2013, at his home in Oxford, Miss. A funeral service will be held on Friday, July 12, 2013, at 2 p.m. at Waller Funeral Home in Oxford, Miss., with Dr. Alice Clark officiating. Burial will take place at a later date in Woodlawn Cemetery in Orlando, Fla. Visitation will be held the day of service from 12:30 to 2 p.m.

Mr. Highsmith was born in State Center to the late Lewis Carl and Ruth Mary Collins Highsmith. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Zoology from the University of Iowa and a PhD in Marine Biology from the University of Washington. He was a former Professor of Marine Biology and a researcher at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for 20 years; Executive Director, National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology; Director, University of Mississippi Field Station and Center for Water and Wetlands Resources and Consortium Director, Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas Inputs to the Gulf of Mexico (ECOGIG). He was a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes in Memphis, Tenn. An area of his life in which he never wavered or compromised was his honesty. He was an advocate for those treated unfairly. He believed that all races and ethnicities should be treated fairly.

He is survived by his wife of 26 years, Luz "Lucy" Hernandez Highsmith, of Oxford, Miss.; two daughters, Terry Highsmith and Dawn Ferguson, both of Hailey, Idaho; three sons: Jun Ueki, of Japan, Jeanpierre Saldarriaga, of Orlando, Fla., and Bryant Saldarriaga, of Fairbanks, Alaska; seven grandchildren and a special niece, Dayni Padilla, of Texas.

Memorial contributions may be made in Mr. Highsmith's memory to American Cancer Society, 1800 W. Main St., Tupelo, MS, 38801.